On Regal right now...

[goldie099]

Great review so far! Possible newbie-ish question here...we were on the Regal's previous sailing (Dec 17-28), and the cruise director was Dan Falconer. He was great! I'm wondering why the CD changed? Dan didn't mention that he was at the end of a contract.

[Mayo21]

25 days!? You are SO living my dream. I have about 4 years to retirement and going on a few back to backs will be my gift to myself. Right now, my work (junior high assist. principal) allows me only the two weeks at Christmas to cruise - highest peak time for cruise and air :( No desire to cruise in the summer when it’s the nicest weather for us back home.

I love reading your posts...thanks for taking the time...and I do feel like I’m living the dream....our cruise is ONE cruise not a B2B! It’s a TA that then encompasses the Baltic! Your time will come.....one favor....I like draft beer. Could you tell me what draft beers are on the Regal!! Will have more questions I’m sure! :):)

[luv2cruz62]

Thank you so much for keeping us in the loop! We leave on January 21st! Could you perhaps (if you can or have time) elaborate on the movies at MUTS? or perhaps post Princess Patters? Attending MUTS is one of my FAVOURITE things about Princess! Thanks!!

[h-sar]

Goldie099 - sorry, should have said Martyn Moss is the Entertainment Director and DF is the Cruise Director. Keep forgetting the two different titles.

 

I also keep forgetting to mention: bring insect repellent!! We forgot and were eaten alive in Fort L and especially Princess Cays which was a first. There were tiny little bugs flitting around at PC and a number of people we talked to also got numerous bites. And these bites are incredibly itchy!

 

Mayo21 - just two, same in every bar. Newcastle brown ale and Heineken.

 

Will get full MUTS listing tomorrow.

[h-sar]

The past couple of years, my friend has been hard-pressed to find good gluten-free desserts in the main dining room at dinner. She is always told that her dessert will be a surprise. In the past few cruises, the surprise always turned out to be Creme Brulé. It became a running joke with us.

 

This year, however, the surprise gluten free desserts have been very good and there has been a great variety. Tonight, she received a gluten-free black forest cake which was very, very good. None of these specialty desserts have been on the menu.

 

Looks like Princess has started to put more creative energy into better quality gf desserts. Way to go, Princess!

 

My family and I missed our absolute favourite dessert, quite possibly ever eaten on sea or land by all of us, the Norman Love coconut one. It was served yesterday in the main dining room while we were at the Crown Grill. Major disappointment for us all today when we discovered this. Had I known, I would have changed my reservations in the crown grill. No joke. Did ask the head waiter if they had any stashed away. :) Sadly, no. He said they have to dispose of all food after four hours whether it is in the buffet or in the dining room. Told him that just means we have to book another cruise for next Christmas. Well, that’s a moot point really, as it’s already been booked. Ha ha

Edited January 3, 2018 by h-sar

[h-sar]

We all enjoyed our mains in the MDR tonight - Orange roughy fish in a really delicate, gorgeous sauce; the meat trio with chicken, lamb, and veal; the scallops were especially enjoyed by my gluten-free friend.

 

I really enjoy gnocchi and ordered it as a small side dish along with my fish. I keep forgetting how much I do not care for princess gnocchi. Rather then being light and delicate, it is really dense, heavy, and very, very doughy. It has a tendency to stick to the roof of one’s month as well. Not recommended. On the other hand, the twice baked goat cheese soufflé apply was as divine as always.

[dides]

10. Why is Princess having such difficulty in rolling out a digital photo display similar to the one Royal Caribbean has? It is such a hassle trying to find your family’s photographs in the display booths and it seems like such an incredible waste of paper.

They have digital only on Majestic Princess using facial recognition from your cruise card photo - not totally successful on matches though! Hopefully it will eventually be rolled out to other ships.

 

Sandra

[Mayo21]

We all enjoyed our mains in the MDR tonight - Orange roughy fish in a really delicate, gorgeous sauce; the meat trio with chicken, lamb, and veal; the scallops were especially enjoyed by my gluten-free friend.

 

I really enjoy gnocchi and ordered it as a small side dish along with my fish. I keep forgetting how much I do not care for princess gnocchi. Rather then being light and delicate, it is really dense, heavy, and very, very doughy. It has a tendency to stick to the roof of one’s month as well. Not recommended. On the other hand, the twice baked goat cheese soufflé apply was as divine as always.

 

 

 

Thanks for the draft beer info.... also, what’s going on with the *****? Not much mention anymore? Is the internet better and still $9.99/day and can you just buy a day here and there??

[h-sar]

Mayo21: the internet for all platinums and elites this cruise is free and unlimited as Princess’ way of apologizing for the ***** not being rolled out. I know there are some cabins with *****. Eg. when I am close to the hostess desk at MDR, all of the ***** guests who are standing immediately near the desk will have their name and actual picture pop up on her screen. The other day, I saw three or four come up and flash in or out as those people moved.

 

Internet for me has been slow depending on what I want to do. If I’m just reading something in MSN, for ex, it’s pretty fast. Cruise Critic has been painfully slow and it freezes me out often. Posting takes many attempts and after losing some very lengthy posts early on, I now only type them in my notes and copy paste to CC. Since last night, I’ve had more luck with CC, hence all the posts last night and this morning. Maybe the server is overwhelmed with so many people on it due to it being free for many guests?

 

Yes, $9.99 per day for one device.

$29.99 per day for up to 4 devices. Yes, can get just for individual days - believe it’s a 24 hr period. I will reconfirm this later today at the Internet cafe. I used RCL’s new Voom internet 3 years ago. It was for pay and incredibly fast, just like a high speed one at home. Princess’ doesn’t come near that, but still pretty good for sea and especially as it’s free! I’m very grateful for the gift.

 

My husband has been using whatsapp to facetime with his employees at home and his brother in Seattle who is not doing well. He has had no issues. Even got a call from a friend from India on whatsapp and the call and picture were incredibly smooth. However, I try to do some research on Trip Adv for the next day’s port and keep getting frozen out!

[h-sar]

Sandra, perhaps when ***** is fully operational they’ll tie the facial recognition in with that. Not sure why, in the past few years, they haven’t just scanned cruise cards before taking a pic and tied it in through that. Seeing the thousands of printed photos (majority of which will be trashed) and watching the workers spending so much time taking them down and putting them back up again every day does not seem like something that should be happening in 2018.

[Mayo21]

Mayo21: the internet for all platinums and elites this cruise is free and unlimited as Princess’ way of apologizing for the ***** not being rolled out. I know there are some cabins with *****. Eg. when I am close to the hostess desk at MDR, all of the ***** guests who are standing immediately near the desk will have their name and actual picture pop up on her screen. The other day, I saw three or four come up and flash in or out as those people moved.

 

Internet for me has been slow depending on what I want to do. If I’m just reading something in MSN, for ex, it’s pretty fast. Cruise Critic has been painfully slow and it freezes me out often. Posting takes many attempts and after losing some very lengthy posts early on, I now only type them in my notes and copy paste to CC. Since last night, I’ve had more luck with CC, hence all the posts last night and this morning. Maybe the server is overwhelmed with so many people on it due to it being free for many guests?

 

Yes, $9.99 per day for one device.

$29.99 per day for up to 4 devices. Yes, can get just for individual days - believe it’s a 24 hr period. I will reconfirm this later today at the Internet cafe. I used RCL’s new Voom internet 3 years ago. It was for pay and incredibly fast, just like a high speed one at home. Princess’ doesn’t come near that, but still pretty good for sea and especially as it’s free! I’m very grateful for the gift.

 

My husband has been using whatsapp to facetime with his employees at home and his brother in Seattle who is not doing well. He has had no issues. Even got a call from a friend from India on whatsapp and the call and picture were incredibly smooth. However, I try to do some research on Trip Adv for the next day’s port and keep getting frozen out!

 

 

 

Crazy what comes through and what doesn’t! I know our room is *****.....just wondered about the advantages and disadvantages....thanks again for your time!!

 

 

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[Liz54]

Just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your posts. We are in the cold frozen north and this is helping us crawl towards our February cruise on the Royal. Love your clear detailed reports!

[h-sar]

Just wanted to say how much I am enjoying your posts. We are in the cold frozen north and this is helping us crawl towards our February cruise on the Royal. Love your clear detailed reports!

 

I think it’s the teacher in me ;)

 

I’m sitting on a lounge chair, it’s about 27 C at 8:45 am (I think my time posted on CC is 3 hrs behind maybe?) and I’m watching the ocean go by. Typing some info for CC posts is a pleasure under these circumstances. I owe a huge debt to everyone on CC for the vast knowledge they’ve given me over the years about cruising and the ports. Want to return the favour by passing on some experiences, especially to the new cruisers :)

[h-sar]

1. Fiera last night was as incredible as always. I am not really a Broadway show or musical theatre type of person, but will go see Fiera every time. The music, sets, costumes are fabulous. The main singers do an incredible job with songs from Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Guns ‘n Roses, MJ, John Legend, Dead or Alive, etc. And the music has been used in such a way that it will appeal to the 8 year old as well as the 80 yo.

 

Do come at least 15-20 min before showtime to get decent seats. It was a packed house for the comedian and for Fiera. Most of the big shows are generally at 8 PM and then again at 10 PM.

 

2. Those new to princess: the walls in the cabin are mostly all magnetized. You may want to buy some dollar store magnetic hooks and clips for your cabin for papers, hats, purses etc. There’s also a very heavy duty hook on the wall behind the cabin door. I find that this is a great place to hang my over the door organizer. Princess rooms have lots of shelving and storage space; however, the over the door hanger keeps a lot of the little things that are rolling around neatly organized and easily accessible.

3. I know that some of you prefer the shower doors similar to the curved ones that are on Royal Caribbean over princess’ shower curtains. However, my friend, who is a larger woman, prefers the curtain as she finds it is more forgiving of her body.

4. We do not get into Bonaire today until noon, so are having another partial sea day. My kind of day!

 

Today, my friend and the kids are doing a Princess snorkelling excursion. I had tried to book the company, which is rated very high on Trip Adv, privately prior to the trip. However, they have a deal with princess, as some companies do, that they will not take passengers privately.

 

Speaking of Princess excursions, the private tour we did in Grenada yesterday for $25, which worked out to $31 with entry fees to three places, was offered by Princess for $60 and the Princess one was an hour shorter as it did not offer the beach break.

 

I know not everyone is comfortable doing a private excursion as there are concerns about Getting left behind. However, I find that whenever we have taken a private excursion, the princess big buses are always a few steps behind us, so figure if we get caught in a traffic jam so will they! Also, the livelihood of these drivers and guides depends on getting passengers back to the ships on time. With a family of four, I have saved a ton of money over the years going the private route, Particularly on our Mediterranean cruise. More so than the cost is the fact that we usually end up in a minivan with no more than seven or eight people ir just our family as opposed to the 30 or 40 on a Princess motor coach. Having said that, though, everyone needs to do what is comfortable and stress free for them. Taking a private excursion and then stressing the entire time about getting back to the ship on time is not worth the money saved.

[h-sar]

Just docking at Bonaire. 11:30 right now. Not sure what DH and I will do. Hopefully, find a similar island tour as yesterday. Would like to see the salt mines and the slave huts - visible reminder of man’s inhumanity to man, something we can and should never forget.

 

We’ll be heading out as soon as we can. Will have my second slice of specialty pizza of the day while we wait. It’s my favourite - the vegetarian. All the veggies are making the crust more tolerable :) I also look forward to the 4 cheese white pizza (was on day 1, I think). Do NOT enjoy the one with tuna. There was a ham and pineapple yesterday that was pretty good.

[jeanandjim]

Thanx for a great review and opening up to questions. We will be boarding in 18 days. We have a group that would like to play cards. Besides the table in the library, what other venue have they been using for cards? It is usually listed in the Patter.

Thanx in advance.

Jim

[MJSailors]

I am enjoying reading your posts very much.

It may be difficult for me to explain,but ,I think that your writing coveys a feeling of calm and contentment.

I feel that you are truly enjoying this vacation with an attitude of flexibility, interest and graciousness.

While you are relaxing on the ship, I feel relaxed when reading about your relaxation! I know the exact location of the wicker chairs and wood loungers on the open deck.

It is a good place to watch the ocean and the world go by. I can recall sitting on the loungers with my DH one evening after dinner,enjoying the breeze as the ship was underway to the next port. It is a good memory to recall as we have been experiencing an Arctic blast and we are anticipating a snow storm tomorrow on Eastern Long Island with blizzard conditions and perhaps 12 inches of snow !

I do hope your DH continues to get enjoyment from the Enclave, your children continue to enjoy their adventures in the warm Caribbean sun and that your friend continues to find goodies that meet her dietary needs.

The Regal Princess is one of our favorite ships,although we do miss the wide promenade deck found on the Grand class ships.

We have taken two cruises on the Regal to the Caribbean and I would definitely consider booking another on that ship.

I wish you,your family and travel friend a very happy new year.

My best wishes to you that your cruises together continue for a very long time .

[Mayo21]

Well said!! I ditto your thoughts!! Quick question....have you seen any “happy hours” on the Regal?? Or buy one drink, get one free?

[h-sar]

What an incredibly lovely thing to say. I am glad that you are able to vicariously enjoy our time on the Regal and in the ports. I spend a lot of time reading reviews of the Regal when I return home as it allows me to relive my own experiences.

 

Like all of you, our life is a whirlwind of work, university for my kids, and the daily grind of every day life. I find that cruising allows my family to truly come together and live in the moment, unlike other holidays where there is a lot of driving around, navigating through unfamiliar streets, looking for restaurants, etc. etc. Where else but on a cruise can you truly relax, get away from everything, have somebody cater to your every need, meet interesting people from all over the world, learn about the culture and history of others, and see some of the most beautiful locations on earth? We are truly blessed to be able to take these yearly holidays.

[hpeabody]

Hi h-sar. I am enjoying your review.

I am wondering if Iris Burrus is perhaps still one of the main singers. She was the lead in Fiera when it first rolled out and was fantastic.

[Vacationdreamer<><]

What a fabulous review! You are making me want to do a family cruise on Regal!

 

 

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[mrbucky]

Agree with the Grenada tours. Why they allow busses on those one lane roads? We too we one step ahead. Took 20 minutes to drive out of the falls area, as a bus was backing down the mountain. We have met many teachers from Canada who fled the cold.

[h-sar]

Bonaire Wednesday

The kids and DF (aka GFF) went off on the snorkel excursion. The company was SeaCow and they get really good reviews on trip adv. We saw them off (they were picked up right at the pier immediately next to the ship). There were approx 35 other ship guests with them. As a result of having left Fort Lauderdale on a Thursday, we have found that we didn’t get much company in ports. We were the only ship out of Port Everglades last Saturday and I really enjoy watching the other ships pull out. We had a couple of other ships with us in St Thomas, Bonaire we were completely alone, and today in Curacao, we were alone as well. Means the islands have not been as crowded with cruise passengers as on previous cruises. Once the kids and DF left, DH and I got out of the port and immediately came upon all the tour vendors.

There was a long, narrow tent lining the sidewalk for almost a block. All the tour operators have their own little table set up under the tents. Some offer the north tour, some south, some a combination. North is supposed to be better. We paid $25 per person for 3-3.5 hr north tour.

Inside the port area,there are souvenir and duty free shops built in. As you exit the port and duty-free shopping area, keep left about a block or two and there will be an open air market. Not typical of most portside markets as many of the items at this one are handcrafted or hand painted. There are also some of the typical souvenirs such as magnets etc. They also sell small packages of their local salt.

Our tour was approximately three hours. We had a driver and a guide in an open air safari with about 12 passengers in total. Not bad for $25. All of the rates are predetermined by the government so there is no negotiating. I really liked the set up here with all of the vendors lined up in one place and not having to haggle as the rate was very reasonable to begin with. We stopped at four places and I enjoyed each stop for different reasons, but the time driving between each point was long (about 20 min between each one) and not very scenic once we turned inland. Once the ocean was no longer in view, we basically drove on a very narrow paved road with scrub brush on either side, so really not anything to see between each viewpoint. It was really interesting to see all the cactus, but that’s only exciting for the first 10 minutes, LOL. But, hey, I’ll take endless vistas of cacti in January over a foot of snow any day of the week!

Our first stop was at a salt mine which was something totally new for me and our guide was very informative about explaining the production process. The old slave huts from the 1800’s were right by the mine as well. Very somber and reflective moment seeing all those tiny huts. We had a few minutes at this stop and were also able to get right next to the water. The colour is a breathtaking blue and the rocks have been polished down to an incredible smooth finish in many different elongated shapes. I can see why Bonaire is a diving and snorkeling destination for many. From there, we went to a lookout which had a beautiful view of the ocean. We could climb down some stone steps right down to the water. This was about a 10 minute stop. We proceeded inland toward the flamingo sanctuary. I have to confess that it was a bit of a let down. I think I saw more flamingoes in a McDonald’s parking lot a couple of years back, driving from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale on a previous holiday, LOL. The sanctuary was at a lake, with the flamingoes in their natural habitat, which was good. We saw a few flamingoes off in the distance. Not really a place that one could get out of the vehicle, so the driver slowed down and we took some pics from a distance.

We then stopped at Rincon, the oldest settlement and one of only two towns/cities on the island. It was built by the Spanish in the 1500s. The purpose of this stop seemed to be for the main distillery as Bonaire is known for the alcohol it creates from the cactus that seem to grow everywhere on the island. The distillery was built up quite nicely, sort of an open air setting with a number of little huts that gave samples and sold various forms of local alcohol. I was disappointed that the main purpose of the stop seemed to be to shop at the distillery and not to learn about the history of Rincon. The old history teacher in me couldn’t resist, so I googled Rincon when I got back to the ship. I could tell you all about how the village ties in with the little slave huts we saw on the other side of the island or why the Spanish chose it as a settlement, but I know not everyone’s a history geek like me :) We then drove to Coco beach, not far from the port, where a number of the passengers were dropped off. Apparently one can get a cab down to the ship from there for about two or three dollars per person. A few of us chose to take the Safari back to the ship, so I cannot comment on the beach. However, judging by the beauty of the water we saw on the drive, I’m sure the beach was beautiful as well. Those of you who live close to water will never truly appreciate how us landlocked residents feel when we get the opportunity to see the ocean. Seeing the blue of the Caribbean Sea fills me with instant bliss.

I have been platinum for about four cruises now, but Wed was the first day that I actually walked into the platinum/elite lounge. Took a wrong turn and ended up in there. Figured I might as well check it out. It’s actually a very nice setting. As we do not drink or eat much seafood (although I do enjoy whitefish), and many of the food offerings have been sushi or salmon, we’ve never bothered to go. The layout of the food was much nicer than I had expected and the chef was standing behind the food display. The cheese platter was very eclectic and I really enjoyed the candied walnuts and pecans mixture. It was kind of like a dessert, actually! I didn’t stay... just long enough to eat a few grapes and some of the sweet nuts. Not sure that I would go back. It was very quiet around 5 pm.

Bar service by the wandering waiters around the pool has been fantastic. You simply have to meet their eyes and give them a smile from your lounger and they are right there. They are always gracious in bringing me my occasional diet Coke or mocktail - have never made me feel bad about ordering something non alc.

It’s Thurs after Curacao as I type this in a poolside lounger, listening to the live music by Xcite (I mistakenly spelled their name with an E before!). The song selections today are pretty fabulous...Tina Turner, Adele, Alannah Myles, Toto, Billy Joel. As I type this, I just heard the Love Boat horn as we pulled out. Doesn’t matter how many times I hear it, I get a mushy feeling every time. You have to know that I probably watched nothing but Aaron Spelling shows from about 1978 to 1985 and Love Boat was a particular favourite in my pre teen and early teen years. Speaking of the Love Boat, those of you of that generation need to make sure that you get a picture of yourself in front of the massive Love Boat life preserver that is on the wall under the MUTS screen. You also need to check out the Love Boat photo display by passenger services and Sabatinis. I go pay homage every cruise, haha! My kids don’t quite get it. I miss Captain Perrin, because I think he’s the only Princess captain who truly understands the North American cruisers’ affinity for that horn (even though he’s British). The current captain plays it as well, but I just don’t get the feeling his heart is in it in quite the same way LOL.

 

Tonight, we have dinner in Sabatini’s. My first time with the newest menu as, last year, it was still the previous one. Will report back on how it compares. Just got to say, they better not have messed with my burrata salad! Will have a lot of time tomorrow on our sea day to answer all of your questions (I’ve got some notes made for some of them already). Will also provide more info about the ship and amenities.

[sunsetbeachgal]

This is an incredible blog! Thank you!

 

 

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[flcruiser3]

I sailed on The Regal over Christmas and I've enjoyed reliving my cruise through your posts. Your comments about the Love Boat horn prompted me to write. One of the highlights of my cruise was our sail away from Antigua on Christmas night. My husband and I were on the balcony and the sun was setting. The MSC Fantasia was berthed next to us. There were tons of people on their balconies and open decks watching us prepare to depart. When the captain played the horn they went crazy screaming and cheering! The captain responded by playing it a few extra times. As we were pulling away from the dock we could hear 100s of people from the MSC ship singing the Love Boat theme song! It was really a special memory for me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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